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Catherine McKenna, Dehcho First Nations officially recognize Edehzhie as protected national wildlife area

An aerial view of a portion of the Edehzhie area. The federal minister of environment and climate change is in the Northwest Territories on Thursday to sign an agreement with the Dehcho First Nations to officially protect the area. (Dehcho First Nation)

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has signed an agreement with Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Gladys Norwegian to officially protect the ​Edehzhie area, creating the first Indigenous-protected national wildlife area in Canada.

Indigenous leaders from across the North gathered in Fort Providence, N.W.T., for the announcement.

Edehzhie, a plateau that rises out of the Mackenzie Valley to the west of Great Slave Lake, covers 25,000 square kilometres of land.

The area has been a spiritual gathering and hunting place in the Dehcho since time immemorial.

"Past leaders and elders have worked diligently to protect the Edehzhie so that it will be here for future generations," Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Gladys Norwegian said Thursday. "The Dene have a special relationship with the land."

She said when wildlife was scarce, historically the Dene have always relied on the Edehzhie area.

"A protected area is an example of how the Dehcho would like to move forward with Canada," Norwegian said.

Tlicho Grand Chief George Mackenzie echoed Norwegian's statements.

"The creation of Edehzhie is an example of how we can work together as Indigenous governments to bring together our values and culture."

McKenna, who was holding a bottle of water taken from a local lake, stressed the significance of the first Indigenous protected national wildlife area in the country. She said it took 20 years to get to this moment.

"You should be extremely proud," McKenna told the room, which erupted in applause. "It's really amazing to be a part of this."

She said the federal government is committed to reconciliation.

"This is an example of how you can do things differently," she said. "We have to do more of this. This is an amazing story because climate change is real."

From left, Dehcho First Nations Grand Chief Gladys Norwegian and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, along with elders for a feeding the fire ceremony in Fort Providence, N.W.T., on Thursday. (Hilary Bird/CBC)

History of Edehzhie

Dene elder Jonas Antoine has previously referred to the area as the "breadbasket" of the Dehcho people.

The proposed Edehzhie protected area boundary. (CBC)

Now, after 16 years of negotiations, a portion of Edehzhie will be federally protected as a national wildlife area.

In 2002, the Dehcho and Tlicho asked the federal government to prohibit any new development in the Edehzhie area. It agreed, but only until 2010.